Writing content for Search Engine Optimization is an incredibly important skill when creating any kind of online copy. Whether you are writing about a new line of products or discussing the different services you offer, tailoring your content for SEO can drive significantly more traffic to your website by helping people browsing the web easily find your content. Let's explore the basics of creating content for SEO...

Research First

Do not start crafting content until after you have done extensive research on your target audience. To make sure that you are writing about topics that will attract your target audience, you will need to analyze subjects are appealing to your desired audience. So before you start creating any content, here are some questions you should ask yourself to determine how to best reach your target audience.

• Who are you trying to reach?
• What does your target audience look like? What age are they? What gender? What are their interests?
• What keywords appear most often in their searches?
• Identifying which keywords appear in the most popular searches about your industry can give you a good idea of what keywords you should be using
• What websites do they spend their time on?
• By examining copy from competitor/industry sources you can find more keyword targets, content strategies, and link opportunities
• What type of content do they typically consume?
• Does your target audience gravitate towards fun video content? Or do they prefer informational blog posts?

Now that you have a better idea of who your audience is and what kind of content they are looking for, you can design content that appeals to your target audience's interests and offers answers to their most frequently asked questions.

Craft High-Quality Content Using Keywords

Before you start to worry about making sure your content is optimized for SEO, you need to make sure you are producing quality content. Although you should be writing about topics and using keywords you researched, focus on writing first-rate content. When you craft content that actively engages consumers, they are far more likely to interact and share your content. When you are creating content, make sure to ask yourself whether it has any of the following characteristics:

• Clear and concise
• Unexpected
• Credible/ trustworthy
• Emotional
• Free of spelling and grammatical errors
• Entertaining/ engaging
• Inspiring/ stimulating
• Educational/ instructive
• Sharable
• Relevant to your consumer's industry
• Thorough/ comprehensive
• Practical
• Unique

SEO Tips

Now that you have created high-quality content based on your target audience research, it is time to optimize your content so that it can quickly be found by search engines. Here are some tips on how to get your content SEO ready.

• Do NOT oversaturate your content with keywords
  • Known commonly as keyword stuffing, Google will actually rank your page lower if your content is packed with the same keywords. Use your keywords naturally and sparingly, utilizing synonyms if needed.
• Keywords are most effective when included in titles, URLs, captions, and the first 100 words of content.
• Include tags and meta descriptions
  • create tags and meta descriptions that summarize your content using keywords and commonly searched-for phrases
• Take advantage of internal linking
  • As you create more content, include links to older content in newer posts

ImageWorks, LLC | CT SEO Marketing

Does your business need help with developing an effective SEO marketing strategy? Our professional copywriters blend sales-motivating copy with search engine optimized keywords and phrases to ensure your website will be found on the web — and then motivate your customers to take action. Our team takes pride in driving all of our client's campaigns to their highest potential allowing them to leave a dominant digital footprint.

Is your SEO Marketing strategy ready to go? If you have any questions, we love a good conversation!